FSU football coaches received their 21st commitment in the 2025 high school recruiting class on Monday night when legacy defensive back Antonio Cromartie Jr. announced his pledge to the Noles.
Cromartie received his official offer on Christmas Day and took his official visit to campus this past weekend before announcing his commitment on Monday.
Cromartie Jr. didn't have a ton of offers and some folks may question why he was a take by the staff because he didn't have a recruiting ranking.
He's a player who grew up on FSU's campus, and the coach, Mike Norvell, has a great relationship with him and his parents. It's not like the coaching staff didn't know him and only offered him out of the blue.
Cromartie had a strong senior season and has grown quite a bit over the last year, something the coaching staff probably noticed, coupled with the production of his senior season.
As customary for players who commit without a recruiting ranking, recruiting services updated their rankings and gave him a composite three-star ranking on Tuesday morning. He's the No. 1,975 player nationally and the No. 166 defensive back.
Some folks will look at that ranking and scoff, but the recruiting game goes both ways. We've seen players ranked as five-stars who never amount to anything and players who were two-stars become NFL Pro Bowl players. Stars matter, no doubt, but it's all about how that player develops once they get to college and beyond.
Cromartie's growth spurt over the past year could be a great sign of things to come as his body matures and he gets into a college strength and conditioning program. He won't be expected to contribute early because FSU has a deep secondary where blue-chip players didn't play as freshmen this year.